Beauty in the eye of the beholder

Exotic beauty treatments you may not know exist

Planning a spa day? If you’re looking for something less typical than your avereage “mani-pedi,” get inspired by these bizarre beauty treatments from around the world.

As will all beauty treatments, consult your physician before participating.
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CEMBERLITAS HAMAMI

Hamam (Turkish bath)

Hamam, commonly known as a Turkish bath, is a practice originally inherited by the Ottoman Turks from the Roman Empire and adapted to Turkish culture. The tradition of public steam bathing and ritual cleansing was for centuries a hub of social, religious, and even political activity. Today, hamam remains a large part of the culture.

Most Turkish bath houses will give you the option to choose between self-service or the traditional style. Though self-service, which allows you to bathe yourself, may be the go-to choice for those who fear being unclothed in front of a stranger, to avoid the traditional style would be to miss the true experience of the historic practice. In the traditional style, an attendant will wash and massage you with a hand-woven cloth. Afterward, you are taken to layout and relax on a hot slab of marble called a gobektasi and allowed to remain there as long as you’d like.

Where to find it:

Hammam is practiced throughout Turkey, though many spas in Europe offer variants of the practice under the same name. The practice of hamam is difficult to find in the United States, but a handful of specialized spas do offer it.

In mid-2006, the Chodovar brewery in Chodova Plana opened the Czech Republic’s first beer bath, a soak of herbs, mineral water, and dark beer administered by certified spa therapists. Since then, over a dozen beer spas have cropped up around the country, offering services that range from simple soaks to luxurious spa sessions. At the swanky Augustine Hotel in Prague, spagoers can indulge in a lavish two-hour, beer-based body scrub and massage, made from a mix of organic Hersbrucker and Spalter Select hops from Germany blended with their own St. Thomas house beer.

The Chodovar brewery claims beer baths are good for the exfoliation of the skin and blood circulation. Bonus points are deserved for the being the only treatment on the list that promises free pints with each service!

Squeamish? This may not be the treatment for you. This “pedicure” invites spagoers to soak their feet in a tank full of guppy-like toothless fish called garra rufa, which feed on dead skin. This bizarre practice has become somewhat of a fad; originating in Turkey, where the fish are naturally found in the river basins, it has been subsequently progressing throughout Asia and some parts of Europe. The feeding isn’t supposed to hurt — it can be extremely ticklish, in fact – and is intended to make the feet smooth, soft, and callus-free. However, the use of Garra rufa as a spa treatment is debated, as many cosmetology regulators believe the practice is unsanitary and can cause the spread of infection. More than 10 states have banned the practice for a variety of reasons, including the inability to sanitize live fish and the ethical justifications behind forcing the fish to feed on dead skin.

On a vacation to Greece in April 2013, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian recorded their experience with fish pedicures. Though Kourtney acted calm and collected, Kim’s squeals showed that she was not a fan.

Where to find it:

A chain called Doctor Fish, which specializes in fish pedicures, has several locations throughout the United States but has yet to open up shop in New England.
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Shizuka new york Day Spa

Bird dropping geisha facial

Yet another Asian beauty fad making its way westward, the “geisha facial” is a treatment from Japan that has recently become popular among clientele of Shizuka New York Day Spa. The facial, called “uguisu no fun” (literally “nightingale feces” in Japanese) is made from the droppings of a specific type of nightingale, the Japanese bush warbler.

Uguisu no fun is a traditional part of a geisha’s beauty regimen. According to Discovery Health, geishas wore heavy white makeup made from ingredients such as zinc and lead, which caused skin diseases and other illnesses. The nightingale dropping masks were used as a treatment to remove the toxic makeup and to condition the skin.

The feces of the Japanese warbler contains large concentrations of nitrogen-rich urea (which is also found in urine) and guanine, an amino acid, and is meant to make your skin softer and brighter.

Put simply, a platza treatment involves having your body repetitively smacked with a broom made of oak leaves that have been soaked in warm water and oils. The treatment is carried out in a steam room, to open your pores and ready your skin for the “healing powers” of the plant smacks.

Russian and Turkish Baths, a bath house in Miami Beach, Fla., that specializes in platza treatments says the plant’s leaves release essential oils that prevent premature aging of the skin. The oak leaves contain a natural astringent to open your pores, remove toxins, and exfoliate dead skin.

In an interview with “Time Out New York”, actress Elizabeth Banks described her experience with a platza treatment in Budapest. She told the magazine, “It was so painful, but I was too embarrassed to say, ‘Please stop!’”

In South Tyrol, an autonomous province in Northern Italy, paying for a roll in the hay is not uncommon. In fact, it’s a spa service.

The practice was discovered by farmers who would sleep in the hay after a hard day’s labor and awake feeling refreshed and energized, according to‘Time.’

Hotel Heubad, one of several hotels in South Tyrol to offer the hay bath treatment, asserts that the Dolomite hay used for the treatment contains special herbs such as Ladies’ mantle, mountain arnica, thyme, or cinquefoil, as well as essential oils that are therapeutic, improving blood circulation. The grass is soaked and heated, then wrapped around the “bather” for approximately 20 minutes. Hotel Heubad reccomends a series of sessions to fully feel the benefits.

Where to find it:

Hay bathing is relatively specific to South Tyrol, but is also offered at the Sunstar Hotel in Sass-Fee, Switzerland. Maybe consider the Dolomites as your next vacation destination?
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HEAVEN SKIN CARE

Bee venom face mask

The Heaven Bee Venom Mask, created by British beautician Deborah Mitchell, works by stimulating a reaction in the skin that fools the body into believing it has been stung, creating a tingling sensation and causing the body to produce chemicals which reduce wrinkles by relaxing and strengthening the muscles. According to the UK’s Daily Mail, sales of the mask increased after it emerged that the Dutchess of Cornwall was a faithful user of the “organic face lift” in 2010. Mitchell says the mask, which uses bee vemon as its main ingredient, is a safer alternative to botox and can take up to 10 years off the appearance of the client.

According to the Daily Mail, increasing demand for the bee venom mask has lead Mitchell to sign a 10-year distribution deal in China, allowing her product to be sold in 2,500 stores and salons. Distributors of the product must employ at least one British therapist trained by the firm at each of its stores.